When the sun is scorching down, there is only one place a PubSpy should be and that’s a great beer garden.

One of south east London’s finest – a sunken number with lovingly tended flowers, smart seating, split levels and its own bars – is at the Guilford Arms in Greenwich.

You could be forgiven for having missed it previously, as the pub is a little out of the touristy town centre on the corner of a residential street. It’s unassuming from the outside too but, trust me, it is worth hunting down on a summer’s day.

That’s not to say it’s utopian. Step inside and it scarcely feels like a pub. It is more like a corporate hotel or clubhouse. The interior is smart to the point of near sterility.

The drinks range may be slim but it is all killer no filler. There are a handful of excellent Meantime brews and a spattering of others. The fridge is home to such refined soft drinks as Appletiser and Orangina.

All of that is lovely, as long as that’s what you’re after and you are happy to pay for it. My half (sorry) of Meantime wheat beer and sparkling apple drink cost £5.50.

The cheeseburger and chips from the lunchtime snack menu did just about live up to its £11.50 price tag, with a milk bread bun (whatever that is) which fell apart and perfectly complemented the medium rare, seasoned burger and tangy relish.

I sat in the sun trap garden eating it while struggling not to listen to the juicy gossip of group of drama teachers, one of whom had a laugh like a blocked vacuum cleaner.

Ipsoregulated

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